Old, Gruff, and Gritty: Old Man Logan #46

The following is my review of Old Man Logan #46, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

It's never easy watching a beloved friend or family member succumb to the ravages of age. It's an inescapable fact of life, but if there's anyone who has a chance to escape, it's Wolverine. He's not supposed to age, decline, or lose his sex appeal. This is a man who survived having the adamantium ripped from his bones by Magneto, endured multiple battles with Apocalypse, and kept his dignity after the Punisher ran him over with a steamroller. However, it's because he's not supposed to get old that Old Man Logan has such unique appeal.

He's a version of Wolverine who is losing his battle against the ravages of time. He can still heal, but he can't be the same hero he's always been. Moreover, he can never be that hero again. His body and his spirit just won't allow it. That version of Wolverine is buried in the past. This version is looking less and less capable with each passing day.

Since taking over the series, Ed Brisson has been guiding Old Man Logan into the proverbial twilight of his story and there's a growing sense that the end is near for him. He can't heal like he used to. He can't fight with the same ferocity that once made him so dangerous. He's an old man and there's only so much he can heal from. On top of that, the adamantium in his bones is poisoning him so his clock is ticking faster than most.

It's a rare and difficult story to tell, an iconic hero getting older and less capable. Old Man Logan tells that story well and with Old Man Logan #46, Brisson takes him one step closer to the inevitable, but not before putting him in position to be the best there is at what he does. That also includes him teaming up with old allies, such as Alpha Flight. It's one of Wolverine's oldest affiliations that doesn't involve clones or other living weapons. It's somewhat fitting because Alpha Flight prepared him for the X-men. Now, they're helping him prepare for his final days.

The tone of the story is not as somber as it could've been. Old Man Logan is not necessarily broken up about his declining health. He's not dreading the dwindling time he has left or that the mainline version of Wolverine is coming back to take his space. Brisson presents Old Man Logan as a man resigned to his fate, but not in a way that feels grim. He's still Wolverine. He'll still throw himself into the middle of a battle and stab things, as only he can.

It does, however, create a unique backdrop for the part of the story that requires fighting and claws. It's a fairly generic situation by Alpha Flight standards. There's a small town in Canada that has been overrun by some purple alien plant monster. Not much is known or revealed about it, but it gives Old Man Logan and Alpha Flight a reason to team up. It has the common themes of an old school monster movie, complete with mysterious origins for the monster and brutal deaths for innocent townspeople.

By Wolverine standards, it's basically a typical Tuesday. However, a good chunk of the story is dedicated to reinforcing just how little time Old Man Logan has left. There's even one revealing scene between him and Puck where he reveals something that few versions of Wolverine would ever admit without the influence of powerful psychics.

It's not just that he can't heal and the adamantium in his body is killing him. He's tired. His exact words are, "I'm just so tired." He knows he's not the man he used to be. He also knows that if he keeps fighting like a young man version of Logan, people are going to get hurt, namely those cares about. He's at a point in his illustrious, brutal life where he's just ready to go. It's one of those things people expect old men to say, but not Logan.

Puck and the rest of Alpha Flight don't have a chance to respond, which is understandable when they're fighting an alien plant monster. Damian Couceiro manages to include some solemn reactions through a dark, but appropriate art style. There's a clear sense that Alpha Flight isn't just brushing Old Man Logan's dire condition off. They just don't get an opportunity to confront him about it and Old Man Logan makes clear that he doesn't want to talk about it.

This does have a meaningful impact on the battle against the alien plant monster. If a younger, less tired version of Wolverine were involved, then the drama just isn't there. Old Man Logan #46 isn't just Wolverine fighting another space monster with his fellow Canadian heroes. Brisson creates a predicament where every growl, slash, and grunt is pushing Old Man Logan closer to the brink. He can't win they day by just going into a berserker rage and stabbing everything with a feral grin on his face. He has to fight knowing that he's not going to heal from the wounds he incurs like he used to.

That makes Old Man Logan #46 and every subsequent issue more dramatic beyond the alien plant monsters. This isn't just another tease about a major hero dying and setting up a subsequent resurrection story. This is a character who is ready to die and doesn't want to come back. He wants to fight whatever battles he can before walking off into the light to rejoin his family. It's sad on some levels, but refreshingly real in a way that is atypical of superhero comics, especially those involving Wolverine.

There are many times in Logan's vast, convoluted history where his healing factor has been damaged and his ability to survive any battle is in question. However, Old Man Logan sets himself apart by conceding to his vulnerabilities to some extent. There's no certainty that he'll heal from his condition because it has less to do with his powers and more to do with juts being an old man. It's solemn, but it's not tragic in the sense that Old Man Logan is ready to die. He's just not done stabbing things yet.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

Back To Brutal Basics: X-23 #1

The following is my review of X-23 #1, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

On paper, the arc of a superhero is supposed to move forward with progress and growth occurring along the way. In practice, however, there are a lot of setbacks, regression, and pitfalls, but not all of them involve dying and coming back to life every once in a while. Certain characters have an iconic status built on decades of evolution, eventually settling into a particular status quo that best reflects who they are and the breadth of their appeal. To that extent, Laura "X-23" Kinney is still evolving.

Her story can't be considered new anymore, having played a part in a major X-men movie and held down multiple solo runs from the likes of Marjorie Liu and Tom Taylor. She also can't be classified as old, either. Her growth has been rapid since her debut in the X-men: Evolution cartoon, but her story tends to undergo more shifts than most.

There are times when Laura seeks to avoid the violent conditioning she endured under her creators, seeking to build a normal life, to the extent that anyone related to Wolverine can have one. She also goes through periods where she attempts to channel those violent skills for heroic purposes, just like Wolverine has. After taking the mantle of Wolverine for a time under Tom Taylor, Laura is at a point where she no longer hides from her bloody past or her violent skills. However, she still has some growing to do and not just because she has a little sister and a pet wolverine.

This is the situation that Mariko Tamaki and Juan Cabal inherit in X-23 #1. Laura's past is still chasing her and her future is still in flux. She has more to lose now than she did before with Gabby in her life. Even though she's still a teenager, she can't afford to be as irresponsible as most teenagers, as the Peter Parkers and Kamala Khans of the world can attest. Between having the baggage of Logan's legacy and dealing with an overly-energetic sister with a pet wolverine, Laura has her work cut out for her.

Tamaki and Cabal still have her pushing forward. The stakes are pretty standard for any clone/daughter of Wolverine. There are still people in the Marvel universe who think it's a good idea to clone Logan and make living weapons. How anyone can still believe that will lead to anything other than a brutal death is laughable, if not absurd at this point. Nobody even tries to make excuses. They're just willing fodder for Laura's continued evolution.

While the setup is basic, involving a generic threat with ties to Alchemax, Tamaki doesn't focus too much on the slashing and stabbing that's standard for any X-23 series. Those moments are there. There's even a hulking lizard man thrown into the mix, which helps mix things up from the standard hired goons that Laura is known for decimating. However, the real meat of the story is in Laura's personal journey.

As she's navigating the standard Wolverine-styled action sequences with Gabby, she reflects on her upcoming birthday. Being a clone, that brings complications that have little to do with cake frosting. Laura starts out with mixed, but ambivalent feelings on the matter. She initially gives the impression that it's not a big deal. Gabby, as she's been doing since she showed up in All-New Wolverine, gets her to reconsider and is lovably adorable every step of the way.

It also helps that Laura and Gabby aren't the only clones dealing with identity issues and birthday drama. After meeting up with Beast at the Xavier Institute, they cross paths with the Stepford Cuckoos. As it just so happens, they're celebrating their birthday. That helps make birthdays, in general, a bigger issue and one that acts as a catalyst for the story, albeit indirectly.

As is often the case with plots involving clones and living weapons, there's a larger agenda unfolding behind the scenes, even before the stabbing starts. It involves Alchemax, but it also involves the Stepford Cuckoos as well. Tamaki even digs a bit into the Cuckoos' history, some of which hasn't been referenced since the latter end of Grant Morrison's run on New X-men. It helps raise the stakes and complicates Laura's new mission. Unlike lizard men throwing trucks, this isn't an issue she can resolve with her claws.

While the connection between Laura's mission and the Cuckoos is established, things don't get violent that quickly. Things even diverge somewhat as Laura debates the merits of birthdays while the Cuckoos reveal some affiliations that would probably not sit well with any former living weapon. There's a distinct sense of inevitability that emerges once the agenda of the Cuckoos emerge. Even though part of it still involves celebrating a birthday, it seems unavoidable that they're going to clash with Laura and Gabby.

That conflict doesn't manifest initially and that's not necessarily a bad thing. X-23 #1 spends more time exploring how Laura sees herself as she continues to navigate a world where she's technically an escaped lab experiment. Her reservations about making a big deal about her birthday reveal that she still struggles with an identity crisis on some levels. She keeps trying to forge her own path, but can't escape the fact that she's a clone. The Stepford Cuckoos are in the same boat, although their efforts don't come off nearly as healthy.

It's a struggle that has been plaguing Laura since her creation, but the fact that she's at a point where she's uncertain about the merits of birthdays still counts as progress on some levels. While the details surrounding the plot are still fairly standard, X-23 #1 still succeeds in sending the message that Laura is still evolving and she's even making progress. Having a quirky little sister with a pet wolverine actually helps more than it complicates things.

Some of that progress still comes off as only partial, though. While X-23 #1 does plenty to create new conflicts, it leaves a lot of unanswered questions. There's no explanation as to why Laura is going by X-23 instead of Wolverine. There's also little in terms of connections to the larger X-men continuity. Even though Laura and Gabby are current members of X-men Red, this affiliation has no real impact.

The story still succeeds enough in terms of putting Laura on a new path, one that will likely affect how she approaches future birthdays. Her growth, as a character, is beyond dispute at this point. She is every bit as entrenched in the X-men comics as Logan, Deadpool, and Doop. She still has plenty of room to grow and if she can just start seeing the world the same way Gabby sees snack food, then she'll be just fine.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

Hunting Party: Hunt For Wolverine: Mystery In Madripoor #1

The following is my review of Hunt For Wolverine: Mystery In Madripoor #1, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

In the same way there are some characters whose death will always stick to a significant degree, there are others for whom resurrection is pretty much assumed before the funeral even concludes. In the same way Uncle Ben's death has to stick for Spider-Man, the death of Wolverine can't possibly stick for the X-men. No matter how his death occurs, be it callous, tragic, or heartfelt, he's still one of the X-men's most popular characters. Him remaining dead is about as likely as Marvel and Disney growing tired of money.

While Charles Soule did a commendable job making Wolverine's death feel meaningful in Death of Wolverine, the X-men comics never try to function without him for too long, as evidenced by the continued presence of fill-in characters like Old Man Logan and Jimmy Hudson. The X-men need Wolverine just as much as Captain America needs his shield. He doesn't have the luxury of staying dead for over a decade like Jean Grey. At a time when time travelers and alternate reality versions of other characters are running around, the time for Wolverine's inevitable return has never been better.

To that end, it's only fitting that Soule set the stage for Wolverine's full return in the Hunt For Wolverine #1. However, that only acts as the start of a much larger story. Jim Zub and Thony Silas are set to build on that story with Hunt For Wolverine: Mystery In Madripoor #1. It's not enough to just get Wolverine out of his grave so his healing factor can do the rest. Given his colorful history, involving ninjas, clones, cyborgs, and living weapons, there's plenty of resources to work with.

Zub and Silas are targeted with those resources, specifically those involving Wolverine's time in Madripoor as bartender/operative/eye-patch enthusiast, Patch. It's a part of Wolverine's history that isn't as prominent as those involving adamantium bonding or blood feuds with Sabretooth, but it still reflects some important insights about the man and not just the claws. When he's not a raging, snarling death dealer, he's a man who has lived a more colorful life than most.

In that sense, it's somewhat fitting that those hoping to track him down after learning of his return are X-men with which he's had a close personal connection. The fact that those X-men all happen to be prominent female characters as well is a nice bonus and also revealing, in and of itself. It shows that when Wolverine isn't lusting after married women or on the wrong end of a love triangle, he's capable of forging close personal connections.

Kitty Pryde, Storm, Rogue, Psylocke, Domino, and Jubilee are among the most prominent personal connections that Wolverine has forged over the years. They are a dream team of sorts, one uniquely talented and motivated to find their friend and learn what happened to him. These are some of the most resourceful, resilient, and loyal friends that Logan has ever had. The fact he only ever got romantically involved with one of them, namely Storm, says a lot about his character.

This is a team that's capable of tearing Madripoor apart, digging deep into Wolverine's past to find out where he is. However, they don't get many opportunities to do so and not just because Magneto is currently a prominent presence in Madripoor, as has been documented in X-men Blue. They're still on the runway of the airport when they encounter who they think is Magneto and from there, this team of prominent female X-men are basically stuck reacting to everything from that point forward.

That makes the sequence of events in Hunt For Wolverine: Mystery In Madripoor #1 somewhat predictable. Whenever the X-men, or any superhero team for that matter, are stuck reacting to a situation, it tends to limit the impact of the story. Whether it's ninjas attacking, killer robots attacking, or Hydra agents suddenly entering the picture, it follows a similar script. The team walks into a trap, the fighting begins, and the situation becomes inherently more dire.

That narrative in Hunt For Wolverine: Mystery In Madripoor #1 follows that script fairly closely, but that's not to say there aren't dramatic elements that add a little complexity to the mix. Before that situation devolves, though, there are some quiet moments among Wolverine's closest friends. Storm, Kitty Pryde, Rogue, and Psylocke all have an opportunity to remember and reflect why Wolverine matters so much to them.

Granted, he can be a violent, cynical, beer-loving brute, but he can also be insightful and sincere. Those reflections help establish why these characters care so much about Wolverine in the first place and why they're willing to risk a messy trip to Madripoor to help him. That helps make Hunt For Wolverine: Mystery In Madripoor #1 feel less like a generic rescue mission and more like a team of loyal friends seeking to help someone they really care about. Superheroes rescue people all the time. This is personal and that's an important theme throughout Hunt For Wolverine, as a whole.

Those quiet moments among the all-female cast make for some engaging insights that establish the emotional stakes. However, it doesn't end up having much impact when the chaotic violence erupts, as is often expected in any story relating to both Wolverine and Madripoor. While the source of that chaotic violence also has a personal connection with Wolverine, there's not much insight into the how or why they get involved. Even though Wolverine has a list of enemies that'll always be longer than his list of friends, those enemies usually don't just attack for the fun of it.

It still moves the plot forward and puts the cast of female X-men into a difficult spot. It's not yet clear whether that spot will have any bearing on events unfolding in related Hunt For Wolverine titles, but the personal connections to Wolverine are still there and are on full display, at least for those trying to find him. Those connections just don't do much to complement the chaos that they inevitably encounter along the way. They just walk into a trap, get caught by surprise, and try to manage from there.

There's still plenty of room for more insights that further reveal the reach of Wolverine's impact. For such a prominent character with such prominent friends, there's more potential than most with respect to connections and conflict, especially in a place like Madripoor. Hunt For Wolverine: Mystery In Madripoor #1 does plenty to give Wolverine's closest female allies a chance to show their strength while helping a friend. For someone who claims to be the best there is at what he does, though, there's still room for improvement.

Final Score: 6 out of 10

Mixing, Mashing, and Monsters: Weapon H #1

The following is my review of Weapon H #1, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

In an era of reboots, remakes, and re-castings, the bar for what constitutes overdone or overused seems to rise every year. Taking a chance and trying something new is just too risky and expensive. It's safer and easier to go with an established trend, even if it means leeching off its popularity to a point where it's so intentional that no one bothers joking about it. While it may frustrate those hoping for something new, it's hard to argue the power of the market. As long as it sells, it doesn't matter how uncreative it seems.

On paper, Weapon H sounds like a concept that is 95 percent gimmick and only 5 percent story. It combines Wolverine and the Hulk. The results are exactly what they sound like. In the pages of Weapon X, it emerges as a daunting threat from people who still aren't convinced that any effort to create a living weapon in the Marvel universe is anything other than an elaborate death wish. The idea that anything anything good could come from combining Wolverine and the Hulk sounds like the kind of thinking that requires repeated head trauma from Juggernaut.

Even if the concept seems basic and shallow, it somehow finds a way to be compelling. Greg Pak, who created Weapon H in the pages of Weapon X, uses the full range of his X-men and Hulk pedigrees to create a character who deserves to be more than just a gimmick. Weapon H is one of those characters that anyone who believes that Wolverine and the Hulk are too exposed can find an excuse to discount.

However, Pak finds a way to set Weapon H up for a compelling story that starts to unfold in Weapon H #1. It's story that has to take chances by being based on such a simple premise, combining Wolverine and the Hulk into a single character. It faces more obstacles than most in its effort to be compelling. Combined with the art of Cory Smith, it has more going for it than the concept may suggest.

In one issue, it establishes a narrative and a character that never feels too much like the Hulk or too much like Wolverine. Pak goes out of his way to put Weapon H on his own path. It's not entirely unique in that there are some elements that Hulk and Wolverine fans alike will recognize, but the story never feels too familiar or predictable beyond the messy monster battles. That's one element that can never be overdone.

Fighting monsters, however, is a very small part of the story in Weapon H #1. It may be too small to some extent, but necessary in order to establish who Weapon H and his alter ego, Clay, is in this story. He's not the smart, yet meek man with anger management issues like Bruce Banner. He's not a hard-drinking, womanizing brute like Wolverine either. He's a trained soldier who made the mistake of thinking a living weapons program wouldn't screw him over and leave him with lasting scars.

However foolish that assumption might seem to anyone who knows anything about the history of living weapons in the Marvel universe, Clay still carries himself like an honorable man and a dutiful soldier. These same traits are what helped him survive the events in Weapons of Mutant Destruction that play out in Weapon X and Totally Awesome Hulk. They're also what motivates his actions in this new phase of his story.

Clay is hardened at this point. He knows he's a target and not just because living weapons tend to draw out the worst kinds of people for the worst reasons. He also knows there are plenty of things that need smashing and stabbing. He doesn't put on a cape or a goofy costume and go out looking for it. He understands it's bound to come to him, which is why he tries to keep a low profile. He works odd jobs, pretending he doesn't speak English or Spanish. He avoids populated areas or established trails. He basically does what Bruce Banner does, but without as much whining.

That, in and of itself, makes Clay and Weapon H more appealing. His situation is bad, but he doesn't spend half his story lamenting or complaining about it. He's a trained soldier. He grits his teeth and toughs it out, fighting whatever problems come his way, including the non-monster variety. At a time when many soldiers aren't given the Captain America treatment, Clay's story feels more real, even when he eventually has to fight a monster.

To some extent, that kind of realism undercuts the monster-fighting spectacle of the story. A good chunk of that story is dedicated to telling the story Clay's family, who think he's dead. This is where the overall flow of the narrative loses some momentum. There's an effort to establish drama among Clay's wife and kids, but it comes off as flat. Their moments take away valuable time from what could otherwise be utilized for fighting monsters.

Along with Clay's family, there's another sub-plot involving Roxxon, one of the few organizations in the Marvel universe that are bold or foolish enough to get involved in living weapons. While there's a legitimate reasons within the context of the story as to why they would be interested in a claw-wielding Hulk, it only comes off as some generic evil plot from a James Bond villain. If nothing else, Roxxon gives Weapon H something other than monsters to smash.

There's certainly plenty of potential for smashing in Weapon H, as a whole. Clay's story is just beginning. Both Pak and Smith lay a solid foundation for a character who could easily be overlooked as just another rip-off/mash-up. However, Weapon H never attempts to replace the Hulk, Wolverine, or any other character. He doesn't even attempt to subvert their stories in pursuit of his own. He tries to chart his own path within the Marvel universe. That shouldn't be such a novel concept, but it's frustratingly rare in the current era of superhero saturation.

There's enough appeal with Clay and Weapon H to make the story in Weapon H #1 feel compelling. While there are plenty of familiar elements derived from established characters, Pak succeeds in making the story feel unique and personal. It just doesn't have enough spectacle or monsters to feel exciting or nuanced. That can certainly change, but he's going to have to fight more monsters if he wants to catch up to Wolverine and the Hulk.

Final Score: 6 out of 10

Life, Living Weapons, and (Unlearned) Lessons: Weapon X #11

The following is my review of Weapon X #11, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

There are certain narratives that can only offer so much novelty and shock value. Audiences can only see Captain America punch the Red Skull so many times before it loses its underlying impact. There's nothing inherently wrong with these stories. They can still be uniquely satisfying in their own sort of way. However, there comes a point where the novelty is so absent that the concept lacks any sense of tension.

When it comes to the Marvel Universe, there aren't many rules, written or otherwise, that don't get bent or broken at some point. The dead come back to life with almost as much regularity as Spider-Man's immature wisecracks. Villains become heroes and villains become heroes with the ease of changing car insurance providers. The malleability of Marvel, and comics as a whole, is part of what makes it so entertaining in the first place.

However, there are still a few rules carved into adamantium that rarely get broken. One such rule involves living weapons. It may as well be as ironclad as Deadpool's immaturity. Anyone who creates a living weapon will be unable to control it. It's as inevitable as the Hulk's mood swings. That still doesn't stop the forces Weapon H, the latest attempt to subvert the living weapons rule within the pages of the Weapon X comic.

In a sense, this attempt is the most ambitious effort to date to make a story about living weapons seem novel. It involves both the Hulk and Wolverine, two characters that Greg Pak has extensive experience writing. It plays to his strengths and the over-the-top destruction plays into Marc Borstel's strengths as an artist. Weapon X #11, which marks the conclusion of the Weapon H arc, has every necessary tool to succeed. The results are somewhat generic, but the conclusion is still satisfying.

Weapon H has an uphill battle from the beginning, but does plenty to set himself apart, even if he is a simple mix of Wolverine and Hulk type brutality. Like nearly every living weapon ever created in an X-men comic, Weapon H has a wannabe puppet-master in Dr. Alba. Having already gotten assistance from the likes of William Stryker, Dr. Alba establishes herself as the kind of callous, corrupt manipulator who is crazy enough to think she can buck the trend of living weapons turning violently on their creators. To her credit, though, she manages to accomplish more than most.

Her hold on Weapon H comes off as more complex than simple brainwashing, at first. For much of the Weapon H arc, as a whole, Dr. Alba proved herself to be more thorough than the typical Hydra spy or used car salesman. She places herself at the center of Weapon H's world, making it seem as though she's less a puppet-master and more a friend. Throughout the story, she presents herself as the only friend Weapon H has left whereas William Stryker sees him as just another blunt instrument to satisfy his thirst for mutant blood.

It's cunning and it helps create a solid backstory around Weapon H, whose identity remains somewhat guarded. However, he is shown to have a civilian life. Like the Hulk and Wolverine, there is a man behind the monster. While that man makes his share of questionable decisions, especially being a special ops soldier who gets involved with a living weapons program, he does make clear that he values his humanity. He shows that he's not quite as eager to throw that away, which is something Logan can't always claim.

However, whatever complexity the man behind Weapon H may have, much of that gets undercut when Dr. Alba resorts to using the kind of outdated control methods that failed miserably with Wolverine and everyone like him since the late 70s. Not surprisingly, she still can't make anyone who values their humanity to willingly become a living weapon. She ends up resorting to hypnotic suggestions and a mind control serum. That may occasionally work in a bad CIA movie, but against the Hulk, that's akin to giving Deadpool unlimited amounts of tacos and napalm.

It still makes for some brutal, Hulk-level action that Borstel's art brings to life nicely. However, it never gets too brutal, primarily because Old Man Logan and his Weapon X crew don't let that happen. To some extent, that does limit the impact of the action. There's never a sense that the brutality has some sort of price beyond property damage. Unless insurance premiums are sentient, nobody suffers beyond the utter terror that comes with seeing a monster that blends the Hulk and Wolverine.

Even if the action is generic, the way the conflict gets resolved still feels satisfying and carries with it a fair amount of drama. While the method by which Weapon H regains control of his faculties are somewhat predictable, the way he deals with his situation is probably the healthiest way any living weapon can cope. He doesn't suffer the kind of violent, blood-rage breakdown that Wolverine seems to endure every other week. What he does is actually consistent with that of a soldier who understands what that role entails.

This is what gives Weapon X #11 more staying power, beyond simply resolving the Weapon H arc and bringing yet another living weapon into the Marvel universe. It creates a character in Weapon H, or Hulkverine as he's also called, who has something to offer that goes beyond the standard narratives that Wolverine and the Hulk have been telling since the Cater Administration.

Weapon H may be the latest in a long line of failed living weapons, but he establishes his own unique character and story. He's not like Wolverine and Sabretooth in that he's not a mutant. He's not like Bruce Banner either in that he's not a scientist with anger management problems. He's a soldier, but the complexity Pak establishes in previous issues help set him apart.

In doing so, the way in which Weapon H ends the conflict has a sense of dramatic weight. It also lays a foundation for more stories involving this character. Even if he is a basic blend of Hulk and Wolverine, that blend is still pretty potent. Like putting a fresh coat of paint over a new car, there's still plenty of appeal with Weapon H.

That, in essence, is Weapon X #11's greatest accomplishment. It doesn't just give Old Man Logan and his team of Weapon X outcasts another victory in the never-ending war against people who still think living weapons are a good idea. It creates a character in Weapon H that is worth rooting for and caring about. Even in a world where there are multiple Hulks and multiple Wolverines, it makes clear that there's still a place for someone like Weapon H. In the same way a world can never have too much chocolate or free donuts, it can never have too many compelling Hulk/Wolverine characters.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

Legacy, Family, and Ninjas: Generations: Wolverine & All-New Wolverine #1

The following is my review of Generations: Wolverine and All-New Wolverine #1, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

The concept of family and legacy tends to get obscure in the Marvel universe. That's to be expected when there are so many clones, time travelers, and shape-shifting aliens running around. On paper, the idea of a child carrying on the legacy of a parent seems like the most logical and appropriate thing in the world. In the pages Marvel comics, however, that's just not enough. There has to be some sort of elaborate, convoluted story behind it that only ends up getting retconned in the end.

While this hinders and dissuades most children from carrying on their parents' legacy, Laura Kinney finds a way navigate these excessive convolutions. She actually manages to don her father's title after his death in Death of Wolverine and, by nearly every measure, she honors that title as well as anyone could expect her to. It doesn't feel forced. It doesn't feel like a gimmick. It actually comes off as a young woman wanting to honor her father.

Batman may have a monopoly of sorts in drawing inspiration from dead parents, but Laura sets herself apart by being her own character long before she put on yellow spandex. She actually spends time learning from Logan and being his daughter so that when the time eventually comes, her acceptance of the role carries the right weight.

With the conclusion of Secret War, Tom Taylor establishes Laura as having graduated from her journey as X-23. Now, she is Wolverine. She proudly wears the uniform and bears the title of her father. She even manages to pick up a little sister and a pet wolverine along the way. How can any father not be proud of that?

With Generations: Wolverine and All-New Wolverine #1, Laura gets a chance to find out just how well she's honoring her father's legacy and from the best possible source. As with previous iterations of Marvel Generations, Laura finds herself dropped right in the middle of a major moment in Logan's history. Also like previous iterations, there's little explanation or context given to that moment. However, there doesn't really have to be. She's suddenly fighting alongside her father against an army of undead ninjas. There's no need for context. She just does her father proud and starts stabbing.

It's a familiar, but still immensely satisfying setup. Wolverine from two different eras come together and fight undead ninjas. Like the Hulk smashing or Deadpool breaking the fourth wall, it's one of those classic Marvel elements that never gets old. Laura's presence, however, adds a new dimension to the mix and this is where Taylor uses the setup of Marvel Generations to do something special for both Wolverines beyond undead ninja stabbing.

The situation already has some dramatic underpinnings in that its ripped right from the pages of Chris Claremont's run on Wolverine. Fittingly enough for Laura, the situation involves family, namely the adopted daughter, Akiko, that he and Mariko took in. As often happens with Wolverine and anyone he's involved with, ninjas attack and he has to rescue her. It's as familiar to him as a bar fight, but Laura's presence adds something unique to it.

The events of that story are already set in that they establish that Logan can be part of a family and fight for it. What Laura does, though, goes beyond simply giving the ninjas another target. She comes into the conflict already knowing how it plays out to some extent. She doesn't just stand by and watch, though. That's not her style. That's certainly not Wolverine's style. When there are ninjas to be stabbed, Wolverine gets to stabbing. No amount of time paradoxes can stop that.

It's in between the stabbing, though, where Generations: Wolverine and All-New Wolverine #1 really expands on the drama. Taylor takes a somewhat different approach compared to other aspects of Marvel Generations in that much of the narrative unfolds from Logan's perspective. It's his thoughts and feelings that guide the story. While he doesn't radically alter the story that Claremont told decades ago, Laura's presence adds a unique dynamic to the mix.

By offering insight into Logan's thoughts and feelings, Taylor reveals a man who has as conflicted understanding of family. While he will go out of his way to save loved ones, he still sees himself as a loner who can't be part of a family. That's somewhat understandable. Being in his family means an exponential increase in the likelihood of ninja attacks. Unlike Akiko, though, Laura can handle it and handle it well. Even Logan acknowledges that early on.

By fighting alongside her, he sees first-hand that it is possible to be part of a family. It is possible to have someone in his life who can handle the occasional ninja attack. Laura doesn't just prove it. She goes out of her way to belabor that point, encouraging Logan to be part of a family. Her just being there does plenty to prove her case. She knows that he goes onto welcome her into his family and guide her into eventually taking on the title of Wolverine.

It sets up for a powerful moment between the two Wolverines. It's a moment heavy on family drama, the kind that is often a precursor to tragedy in Logan's life. However, with Generations: Wolverine and All-New Wolverine #1, that legacy of tragedy is secondary. For once, he and Laura can just appreciate the fact that they're part of a family and that family now has a legacy. It's the kind of moment that really adds a powerful, emotional link between two eras of Wolverine.

That moment is what makes Generations: Wolverine and All-New Wolverine #1 worth its weight in dead undead ninjas. It's a moment that takes time to develop. For much of the story, though, the ninja fighting subverts the drama. It's still wildly entertaining and Ramon Rosanas' art makes it as visually appealing as it needs to be. When the drama finally does come, it has just the right impact. It's brief, but powerful.

More than anything else, Generations: Wolverine and All-New Wolverine #1 establishes that the legacy of Wolverine isn't just measured by mountains of dead ninjas. It's part of a legacy. Logan establishes that legacy. Laura carries it on. Being Wolverine is basically a family affair, albeit with a lot more stabbing and ninja attacks, and it's a family that Wolverine fans of every generation can root for.

Final Score: 9 out of 10

A Familiar and Weaponized Narrative: Weapons of Mutant Destruction #1

The following is my review of Weapons of Mutant Destruction #1, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

There are some ideas that are just so wrought with failure that the mere act of entertaining them again is akin to giving Deadpool an unlimited supply of napalm. It's one thing to revamp and reconsider a failed idea. Sometimes, ideas are just too ahead of their time or not properly managed. Others, however, are akin to fixing a cracked windshield with a sledgehammer.

When it comes to ideas that fail in the most spectacularly destructive ways possible, the Weapon X program and the gamma experiments that made the Incredible Hulk are basically co-champions. These are experiments with simple, albeit devious goals. One seeks to create the ultimate living weapon. The other seeks to create an unstoppable monster that can be controlled and directed like a bomb that never stops going off.

They are weapons that anyone, be they the Avengers or Hydra, wouldn't mind having in their arsenal. When it comes to developing them, however, there sheer breadth of the failures are so staggering that even the most deranged James Bond villain wouldn't dare attempt them again. Even with the combined efforts of the Scarlet Witch and every good luck charm that ever existed, the odds just aren't in anyone's favor.

That's why the premise for Weapons of Mutant Destruction is akin to waiting for a demolition derby where every car is armed with a machine gun and a rocket launcher. Weapon X and all things gamma related have done enough damage to the Marvel universe to buy Hulkbuster armor for every man, woman, and child. Greg Pak and Mahmud Asrar believe there's still plenty of entertainment value in that level of destruction. Weapons of Mutant Destruction #1 shows that even if that value is there, making it compelling is a challenge that even heavy doses of gamma can't help.

The foundation of the story is built on ongoing stories unfolding in two of Pak's other books, Weapon X and Totally Awesome Hulk. From a structural standpoint, the transition is seamless. A narrative that begins in Weapon X #1 starts to culminate in Weapons of Mutant Destruction #1. The key, with respect to the actual substance of the story, is that the culmination only starts. It just doesn't go very far. It's akin to a drag racer that makes a lot of noise, but stalls just as the race commences.

That's not to say the ingredients are there. Pak makes it a point to give the conflict in Weapons of Mutant Destruction #1 larger implications that go beyond his own books. Mutant-killing living weapons, as overdone as they may be, still pose an existential threat to the rest of the X-men. The use of gamma power poses a similar threat to anyone still affiliated with the Hulk. Every character involved has a purpose and a clear motivation in the story. Nobody ever gets involved in a living weapons program for fun. Even Deadpool isn't that deranged.

As the story unfolds, though, there's a sense that it's trying to avoid the familiar tropes associated with conflicts built around living weapons. There's a lot of exposition, not all of which is necessary. There are some mystery elements, which are organic extensions of the events unfolding in Weapon X. However, the very fact they involve living weapons somewhat limits the mystery.

The obscenely poor and exceedingly violent track record of living weapons programs in Marvel Comics doesn't hint at any major twist. In an era where Skrull agents and Hydra agents are overused, twists like that are limited in terms of impact. There's never a sense that Weapons of Mutant Destruction is going to break new ground. It has mutant-killing cyborgs and gamma-powered monsters. For both the X-men and the Hulk, these kinds of stories are aren't exactly as rare as adamantium.

Even though the story has many familiar elements, Pak does manage to mix in some unique details along the way. Teaming Amadeus Cho up with the likes of Old Man Logan, Sabretooth, and Lady Deathstrike adds some much-needed novelty to the story. Unlike Bruce Banner, Cho is less experienced with smashing mutant-killing machines. At the very least, though, Pak gives him plenty of incentive to learn quickly and not hesitate.

At one point, Cho is a little disturbed at the brutality of living weapons programs. Considering how Lady Deathstrike and Old Man Logan barely bat an eye, that's pretty revealing in terms of how common these stories are and how inexperienced Cho still is as the Hulk. From his perspective, fighting mutant killing machines isn't something he does every other Monday like the X-men. His role creates some new dynamics that help make the story feel fresh to a limited extent.

That extent still isn't enough to make Weapons of Mutant Destruction more than the latest in a long line of living weapons programs that need to be smashed and/or stabbed with adamantium claws. The story's reliance on exposition, as well as its slow pace, isn't going to make anyone hulk out. With the way the events plays out, the story acts more as a teaser rather than a culmination. That kind of structure works when a story is breaking new ground. It doesn't work quite as well when it's relying on the kind of living weapons tropes that have played out any number of ways since the disco era.

The concept of Weapons of Mutant Destruction is still sound. The story is, by no means, bereft of value. By most measures, Pak's handling of the story is competent and concise. The characters are spot on and the plot never gets too convoluted. Asrar's artwork complements these efforts as well, creating the kinds of dark, sinister undertones that are to be expected with any story involving living weapons or anyone who has ever had to deal with Lady Deathstrike and Sabretooth.

There's something to be said about a story that's so familiar that nothing short of clowns and Cosmic Cubes can make it feel novel. The concept of living weapons in the Marvel Universe is still one that will make anyone who has ever had to clean up blood stains roll their eyes. It can still make for a fun story though. Like a cold beer for Wolverine, it's a familiar and comforting experience. There will always be a place for stories like that in Marvel.

Final Score: 5 out of 10

Old Man Logan #11: Nuff Said!

I'm convinced that at least half of the villains in comics are more suicidal than crazy. Seriously, who picks a fight with the Hulk, Iron Man, and Captain America without having a death wish of some sorts? For those who pick a fight with Wolverine, I'd say they've taken several steps beyond suicidal. I think they've entered in this twisted death fetish territory that even the most depraved forms of German porn would never entertain.

One might think that picking a fight with an older, grayer, crankier version of Wolverine would be safer. I'd argue that's even more fucked up because it means they're just fighting a version of Wolverine who gives far fewer fucks. That's the only way I can make sense of Sohei and the Silent Order, who are the latest deranged ninjas with a death wish. They spent the last issue giving Old Man Logan a lot of reasons to honor their death wish. Old Man Logan #11 gives him a chance to make use of those reasons. I don't usually encourage these kinds of death wishes, but let's face it. These motherfuckers are asking for it.

They spent last issue kicking Old Man Logan down a well because they seem to think pissing him off is a good strategy for some reason. Yeah, these fuckers have that big a death wish. There's none of that throw-a-man-in-a-well-and-see-what-happens shit here. Old Man Logan is good and pissed now. That means everyone in the Silent Order is about to have their death wish granted, which I guess makes Old Man Logan their new favorite genie not voiced by Robin Williams.

I know I say this with every review, but some shit is worth repeating beyond the point of annoyance. Andrea Sorrentino's art is perfect for this kind of reckless, bloody brutality. Granted, this fight isn't nearly as brutal as some of the other insanely violent shit this series has shown, but that's like saying a Playboy centerfold's breasts aren't as big as Pam Anderson's. It's a matter of scope and context is what I'm saying.

The brutality is there. The blood is there. It's still not enough for Old Man Logan's taste though. Sure, beating the shit out of ninjas is like masturbation. It never gets old. At his age, though, he sometimes needs help and there aren't any pills that can help him at this point, although I'm sure Pfizer is working on something as I write this. So Old Man Logan does the next best thing. He frees Lady Deathstrike, who the Silent Order used as bait.

Understandably, Lady Deathstrike hates being bait. She hates it more than she hates Logan so she willingly teams up with him to beat the shit out of a bunch of ninjas. That, or she's just really horny. I really can't tell with her. It's actually a bigger deal than simply lending a hand because just a few issues back, Lady Deathstrike tried to hunt down Old Man Logan and kill him, as she tends to do with any version of Wolverine. Now, she's helping him kick the shit out of ninjas. Not saying this counts as an olive branch or anything, but there's just something wonderfully fitting about that.

As this series has done so effectively before, it mixes the brutality of the present with the dystopian shit storm of the past, primarily in Old Man Logan's world. We got another glimpse into that past in the previous issue when Old Man Logan tried to get his new wife, Maureen, away from supervillain shit storm he inadvertently helped create. So they try to hide out in Japan and then ninjas attack. That's basically how every one of Logan's trips to Japan have gone since the Frank Miller/Chris Claremont era. You really expected it to be different?

On this latest ill-advised trip, he clashes with his world's version of the Silent Order. It's not much different than the mainline Marvel universe's version. They still have a fucked up death wish. To his credit, Old Man Logan restrains the natural urge to maim ninjas so the Silent Order captures him. He then meets their creepy bald leader, who reminds me too much of Leslie Chow from the Hangover movies. He's about as intimidating shaved squirrel, but he seems to have a fondness for collecting artifacts from dead heroes so you know he's got to get his ass kicked.

The Mr. Chow wannabe also happens to have superpowers because I guess that's a prerequisite for a secret order of ninjas. Those powers involve reading minds and since he doesn't have red hair, I guess that means Old Man Logan won't be inclined to fuck him. The feeling ends up being mutual because when the guy reads Old Man Logan's mind, he sees just how much he fucked himself over.

It makes for a nice little montage of how shit played out for Old Man Logan in his world. It really isn't all that different from anyone who followed Wolverine up to 2005, that special time when nobody took Donald Trump seriously and nobody had seen Anthony Weiner's penis. The only difference is he ended up slaughtering every hero in the Marvel universe.

That's right. He killed every one of Earth's mightiest heroes. Does this guy really think a bunch of ninjas will protect him? Now he knows just how fucked he is. It's just a matter of Old Man Logan making sure Maureen isn't scarred for life by the brutality that follows.

That brutality of the past perfectly mirrors the brutality we get in the present. The same secret order of ninjas still think they can take down a guy who butchered every hero in the Marvel universe. Maybe they really think they can, but can they do that and deal with a pissed off Lady Deathstrike? Again, there are death wishes and then there's just plain fucking stupid.

The brutality and blood is still as entertaining as ever. This time, Lady Deathstrike gets a chance to be obscenely brutal and for once, I can't help but cheer her on. It's usually hard to cheer for a murdering female cyborg who isn't a character in anime porn. Lady Deathstrike makes it easier here, once again reminding the Silent Order that she doesn't like being bait and she likes stabbing those who don't respect her preferences. She's almost a feminist icon in this context when you think about it.

Feminists should probably keep their panties on though. While Lady Deathstrike does get her chance to maim a bunch of men who don't respect her, Sohei still ends up kicking her ass so I guess those same feminists can go back to protesting the evils of the patriarchy. While this is probably going to get my balls busted by some radical types, this is kind of necessary for the story. Sohei only used Deathstrike to get to Old Man Logan. That's who he wants to fight. That's who he wants to have deliver his death wish. The man has his preferences too. Do they not deserve respect as well?

I think both genders can respect the added brutality that follows. Whereas the earlier brutality was all about quantity, thanks to hordes of ninjas, this round is all about quality. It's Sohei versus Old Man Logan, a creepy masked ninja type versus a guy who stabs those types to death. It's not quite as lopsided as it sounds. Sohei is fighting a somewhat dated version of Logan here so he gets in a few shots. That still doesn't do much other than piss Old Man Logan off even more. I guess if he really does have a death wish, this is just a better way of ensuring it. You can say a lot about creepy ninja types like him, but you can't say he does shit half-assed.

As fun and as brutal as this fight is, Jeff Lemire actually goes the extra distance as well to make clear he isn't half-assing this either. During the gloriously brutal battle, Sohei reveals something that's been overlooked to this point, namely why the fuck the Silent Order went out of their way to lure in Old Man Logan in the first place. It's not just because they have a fucked up death wish. These guys have other reasons it seems, although at this point, they're probably secondary.

Sohei claims that the Silent Order has monks who can see the future of their organization. It's like having spoilers before going into a Star Wars movie. It ensures they won't be too shocked or disappointed by what they encounter, even if it does make shit more bland. However, in addition to all sorts of movie spoilers, these same monks foresee the glorious rise of their organization being interrupted by Old Man Logan. Then again, does it really take much foresight to sense that Old Man Logan will instinctively maim any ninja organization that grows too powerful?

While it's not exactly an Akira Kurasowa film, it does provide some context for the Silent Order. They're not just a band of generic ninjas that can't help but put themselves in front of Wolverine's claws. They do actually have an agenda, which is more than 85 percent of most stories involving ninjas can claim. It's a nice bonus that really shouldn't be a bonus in the first place, but it works in that it makes Old Man Logan's desire to stab ninjas a bit more reasonable.

With this knowledge in mind, Sohei does his best to take down Old Man Logan. We also see in a few quick flashbacks that he fails miserably in Old Man Logan's world and he didn't even have Lady Deathstrike's help in that world. So what hope does he have here? The battle starts getting a bit more lopsided until that creepy Mr. Chow guy shows up again. Apparently, he exists in this world too. Except at this point, he's younger, shorter, and a lot more creepier. It's really the only way to make creepy bald men more creepier. Turn them into equally creepy children. Why else would they have made multiple sequels to Children of the Corn?

So...is it awesome?

It has Old Man Logan fighting ninjas in both the present and the past in the bloodiest, most brutal way possible. How can that NOT be awesome? Seriously, you'd have to exercise Cleveland Brown level incompetence to fuck that up. Jeff Lemire doesn't make that effort in Old Man Logan #11. He just has Old Man Logan beat the shit out of a bunch of ninjas, granting them their bullshit death wish in the process. It's both badass and polite when you think about it.

It's not all mindless brutality either, although that certainly doesn't hurt. Lemire actually goes out of his way to give some depth to the Silent Order. He stops short of crafting a story on par with a Final Fantasy game, but it at least gives a valid reason for Sohei wanting to kill Old Man Logan, even if that reason doesn't make it any less a death wish. Valid reasons are rare in a story full of rampant bloody brutality. They're not always necessary, but then again icing isn't always necessary on a brownie. It just makes something that's already awesome even better. For a series like Old Man Logan, that's saying something.

Final Score: 8 out of 10

Old Man Logan #10: Nuff Said!

You can be a grumpy old fuck and still kick ass. Old Man Logan is the living embodiment of that concept. If he were any more grumpy or kick-ass, he'd be one of Chuck Norris' stunt doubles. Unlike Chuck Norris though, he has a damn good reason for being grumpy. He comes from a world where he slaughtered his friends and he does not want to go through that shit again.

 The X-men, especially Storm and O5 Jean, have been helping him every step of the way, but sometime grumpy old fucks need a different kind of help. Sometimes they have to actively seek that help. That's the story we get in Old Man Logan #10. He may still be a grumpy old fuck in the end, but he'll still kick more ass than every teenager, twenty-year-old, and aggressive cougar in history.

For this reason, it's generally a really bad idea to piss Old Man Logan off. Even without knowing all his pet peeves, I'm pretty sure throwing him down a well and shooting him with poison arrows is going to get him pretty damn upset. That's the situation he wakes up in after getting a nasty surprise at the end of the last issue and not the sexy kind either.

Now, he's wounded, pissed off, and having visions of Maureen. At least they're the healthy kind of visions. Anyone who has done a couple hits of LSD knows that visions of a beautiful redhead are as healthy as they come, provided they don't involve dragons that shit ninjas in the background. There's no ninjas or dragons here, but Andrea Sorrentino's dark and gritty art do a damn good job of setting up the right ambience, even for a sober mind. When maximizing Old Man Logan's brutal awesome, it's as vital as cold beer and Canadian whiskey.

For Old Man Logan though, he's painfully sober. That means that being a grumpy old fuck with multiple poison arrows lodged in his body isn't going to keep him from clawing out of this well and fucking up whoever did this. It's the kind of kick-ass badassery that makes Wolverine awesome and further amplifies Hugh Jackman's sex appeal.

Jeff Lemire gives Old Man Logan his share of inner musings, which help tie this shitty predicament with the story that began in the last issue. He came looking for Lady Deathstrike, who recently tried to lay waste to an entire community just to lure him out. He ended up getting his ass kicked by a new asshole who was badass/dumb enough to use Lady Deathstrike as bait. I think Old Man Logan can be forgiven for thinking nobody has that big a death wish. Being thrown in a well probably changed his thinking though.

So who is this asshole with an overly elaborate death wish? Old Man Logan already knows him. He's Sohei of the Silent Order. If that sounds like some shadowy shit from a bad anime, you can unclench your asshole. He's not that bland. He just reveals that he and the Silent Order have been trying to kill Old Man Logan for four straight days now, but he just won't die. He's learning the hard way that being a grumpy old fuck with a healing factor is almost as effective as whatever dark magic Keith Richards has been using since 1967. After four days, he hasn't gotten the hint. He just wants to die a horrible, bloody death that badly I guess.

This brings us to another one of Lemire's insights into the world of Old Man Logan. Unlike most flashbacks that try desperately to make an episode of Family Guy more funny, these insights provide a big chunk of the awesome in this series. It gives context and drama to whatever gratuitously violent predicament Old Man Logan ends up in. This one is no different.

In his world, he encounters the Silent Order shortly after he and his new wife, Maureen, flee to Japan. They're hoping that the villains who have taken over don't have an anime fetish. The Silent Order is about as welcoming as a Big Mac at a vegan convention. By that, I mean they slap Old Man Logan's wife. Even though he swore off violence in this world, that's not something you do unless you're really eager to die a horrible, painful death.

To his credit and the mercy of the Silent Order, Old Man Logan resists the urge to maim every last one of these assholes in front of his new wife. He just married her. He really doesn't want to have to explain to her that he has berserker tendencies. There's only so much that makeup sex and whiskey can fix.

For once, Old Man Logan tries to channel his inner Charles Xavier and use his words to avert violence. He does this by telling Sohei that he'd be doing himself and his limbs a big favor by letting them go, apologizing to his wife, and not fucking with him more than he already has. Sohei's response to this perfectly reasonable request? He stabs Old Man Logan in the neck, right in front of his wife no less. I guess this is his way of making us feel no sympathy for whenever Old Man Logan gets around to maiming his ass.

Back in the present, we now know that Old Man Logan has a long list of reasons to make sure Sohei dies a horrible, bloody death. Usually, getting thrown in a well and shot at for four days is reason enough. Sohei just has to be an overachiever here for all the wrong reasons. He reveals that he's been looking for a chance to kill Wolverine, but doesn't want to draw out the rest of the X-men. He may have a death wish, but not that much it seems.

We don't get much more about his reasons for wanting to kill Old Man Logan or why he thinks using Lady Deathstrike as bait is a good idea. Then again, it's not like people give many reasons for wanting to kill Wolverine in the first place. Those reasons don't make the brutality that follows any less awesome. Old Man Logan, knowing full well that this is one asshole who needs some extra stabbing, starts clawing his way out of the well again. It's another violent montage that Andrea Sorrentino's art captures beautifully. Even those with a weak stomach can't deny that Old Man Logan's efforts are pretty damn badass.

Flashback to the past again and Old Man Logan isn't in a position to be quite as badass, but the Silent Order are setting the stage. This also gives him a moment to explain to Maureen why getting stabbed in the neck is no big deal for him. Turns out, he's not at the point in their relationship where he shares with her that he has mutant powers. That sounds like a pretty egregious oversight. Considering they're in a world where super-powered villains are waving their dicks in the face of everyone they can, I think he deserves a pass here.

His powers are still secondary to Maureen. Having a husband that can heal just means he can never claim he's too sore to take out the trash. The primary concern for her and Old Man Logan is making sure the Silent Order gets the death wish they seem so eager to embrace. For Old Man Logan, that means breaking a vow and keeping his wife out of the crossfire. For someone who has a history of mistakenly stabbing beautiful redheads who love him, that's a challenge.

Back in the future, however, there are no attractive redheads to protect. There's just a very pissed off, very grumpy old man who is tired of getting shot. He finally makes it out of the well. He finally gets to confront Sohei, who at this point I think we're all eager to see stabbed a couple times. Lady Deathstrike is still there too and trapped in a cage. I'm guessing Sohei wants to make sure he pisses off enough stab-happy living weapons to ensure he gets maimed as he wants. Old Man Logan rips out the arrows the same way most of us rip off hang-nails. He's got every possible reason to end this shit in as bloody a way as possible.

Death wish or not, Sohei isn't going to make it too easy for Old Man Logan. He still has an army of ninjas at his side, all of which seem to have a death wish too. I want to have sympathy for them, but I really can't. Every ninja on the fucking planet should know at this point that fighting Wolverine in any form is usually the quickest way to stab wounds and lost limbs. I don't know much about the people who join the Silent Order, but if they're dumb enough to join someone like Sohei in a plot to piss off Old Man Logan and Lady Deathstrike, then I have no sympathy for them.

So...is it awesome?

I'll answer that with another question. Does the formula for a cold beer need tweaking? Fuck no. It works. It delivers the same awesome buzz we want and expect. That's exactly what Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino do with Old Man Logan #10. They stick to the same formula that makes this series a consistent source of awesome. It mixes insights into Old Man Logan's past with gratuitous violence and unparalleled badassery in the present. If you need more awesome then that, then you're just being difficult.

The insights here are meaningful and personal. The violence isn't quite as gratuitous as some of the shit we've seen in this series, but that's like saying a blowjob from Jenna Jameson isn't as messy as usual. When the standards for awesome are this high and the current state of the X-men is this fucked, you come to appreciate the little things. Old Man Logan #10 gives us a lot to appreciate while setting the stage for a lot more gratuitous violence. What more do you need from a Wolverine comic?

Final Score: 8 out of 10

Old Man Logan #9: Nuff Said!

Self-fulfilling prophecies are like do-it-yourself vasectomy kits. They're bad ideas that get compounded by idiots, assholes, or a combination of the two. They may lead to the expected result. It just tends to get messy as hell and twice as ugly.

Old Man Logan is a walking self-fulfilling prophecy, albeit the awesome kind. Since he showed up in the mainline Marvel Universe, his primary concern is NOT being the guy who slaughters all the heroes and hands everything to the villains on an adamantium platter. So far, he has managed to avoid killing any of his friends. Then again, he hasn't caught up with Deadpool yet so there's still time. Jeff Lemire has done a masterful job exploring this struggle and Andrea Sorrentino has been equally masterful at crafting succulent eye-candy. That struggle continues in Old Man Logan #9 and I'll just say my eyes are hungry.

That said, Old Man Logan is more thirsty than hungry. He decides to take a trip to Japan in his old Patch persona to get a drink. I figure Limbo doesn't have a lot of decent beer. That's what makes it hellish I guess. So who can blame him for heading to his old stomping ground, using a persona that probably got him laid by a lot of women with pirate fetishes?

It's not just the beer he's there for. He actually has another reason for being in Japan and it involves Lady Deathstrike, the woman who went to great lengths to try to kill him and his future AU wife. Even if he's trying not to kill too many people in this world, who can blame him for not wanting to kill Lady Deathstrike? At some point, her fucked up sense of honor just gets old.

He meets up with a source. Everything seems to be business as usual. Then, a bunch of guys with machine guns show up and try to shoot Old Man Logan to death. If you think that escalated quickly, then you clearly haven't read enough Wolverine comics. Hell, any trip to a bar that doesn't end with him getting shot by machine guns is the equivalent of a slow news day for him. So it's not like this is more shocking than the Lost finale.

It also has a fairly predictable result. Shooting Wolverine with machine guns is like giving Deadpool free tacos and a rocket launcher. It's not going to end well for anyone within a 500-foot radius. While some will rightly shit their pants in terror, I simply open a fresh beer and pop some fresh popcorn because I know there's going to be awesome show.

Once again, Andrea Sorrentino's art does not disappoint. The bloody brutality that follows is glorious and gory. A pissed off Old Man Logan and a bunch of gun-toting thugs who think it's okay to shoot people before they finish their beer makes for all kinds of brutal fun. Like chocolate cake and masturbation, seeing Old Man Logan tear into a bunch of thugs in the most brutal way possible never gets old.

There is some utility to this brutality as well and it's not just to exact justice on those who ruin a perfectly good beer. Old Man Logan finds out these thugs were sent by lady Deathstrike and the Reavers. They thought they were just sending a message to a frail old man. They learn the hard way that Old Man Logan kicks as at any age. He's just more grouchy about it. So while he does lose his beer, he does gain valuable information about Deathstrike. So I guess it's a half-win because he still lost his beer.

As we've seen in previous issues, Lemire mixes Old Man Logan's bloody escapades in the mainline comics with insights into life in his dystopian clusterfuck of a timeline. It usually makes for some pretty distressing flashbacks. This time, however, it's not quite as distressing. Instead, we see Old Man Logan and his wife Maureen, snuggling together in bed for some much-needed sexy time. It's a sweet moment in a world that probably doesn't have many of them. It's also a reminder that while Old Man Logan is badass as hell, he still went through a softening period where he tried to be with a woman and not have her die on him. It's ambitious, but sweet.

Naturally, this sweetness doesn't last. They're still in a shitty timeline where the heroes are dead and the villains are taking a giant shit on all that is good in the world every chance they get. That includes Crimson Dynamo, who ruins Old Man Logan and Maureen's sexy time, forcing them to go on the run. It's sad, but sadly typical of Old Man Logan's shitty world.

It leads to another powerful moment that further establishes the fucked up context of Old Man Logan's timeline. Normally, when some asshole is fucking up his world and smiling like a stoner in a Twinkie factory, he pops his claws and does something about it. However, in this world, those same claws killed his friends so he's kind of burned out on violence. He says he's not going to pop them again so he doesn't. He just decides to run. He has a beautiful woman that lets him see her naked and he's trying not to get her killed for once. Who can blame him?

Old Man Logan may be okay with ditching the violence, having had more than his share for a dozen lifetimes, but Maureen is a bit more jaded. She's okay with running. She knows that fighting assholes like Crimson Dynamo isn't a very safe or smart recourse in a dystopian timeline. She still wants to create a life that involves more than just running every time some psycho villain interrupts her post-sex afterglow. Old Man Logan understands and comes up with the bright idea to leave the country to find some place that might not be as fucked. Like giving Josh Trank permission to direct a superhero movie, it seems like a good idea at the time.

Back in the present, I can't say that going right after Lady Deathstrike seems like a good idea. This is a woman who probably pleasures herself to the idea of Wolverine being tortured in Hell every night. She uses armed thugs to send a message because I guess email just doesn't cut it anymore. He has to know on some levels that going right after her is going to get messy. That's why it's so damn surprising when he finds her chained up, wounded, and looking like someone who lost one too many bar bets at a Tijuana S&M club.

I'm serious. I really am surprised by this. Lady Deathstrike seemed so ready and eager to peel off Old Man Logan's skin and turn it into a thong bikini. Now, she's bloodied, chained up, and begging for his help. It's a pretty major turn, especially for a woman who is used to being on the other end of the chains. Even if she did lose one too many bar bets, I can't imagine that Old Man Logan has too much sympathy for her.

It's not the first time Old Man Logan has dealt with some fucked up welcomings and it given his knack for creating blood stains in bars, it won't be the last. Flash back to his shitty timeline again and he arrives in Japan with Maureen. Surely a country better known for anime porn than superheroes is safer from the villains? Well, it all seems pristine at first. Then, the ninjas show up.

Again, that's not as big a non-sequiter as it seems. Like getting shot in a bar, Wolverine has an uncanny ability to attract ninjas intent on killing him. He could be eating sushi, taking a shit, or doing karaoke. Somehow, ninjas will find a way to attack him. These guys call themselves the Silent Order. For Old Man Logan though, I imagine if you see one hostile ninja, you've seen them all.

How does this tie into his current issue with Lady Deathstrike? Well, just like in his timeline, he tends to attract ninja attacks. The difference here is it's only one ninja, but he also claims to be from the Silent Order. He's also smart enough to be armed with poisoned arrows, which are a lot more effective than bullets. This guy works smart, not hard. That alone makes him more menacing than Lady Deathstrike, even if he doesn't look as good in a bikini.

So...is it awesome?

It's Wolverine in Japan kicking ass, getting shot, getting blown up, and kicking more ass, in that exact order no less. Lemire and Sorrentino continue their tradition of exploring Old Man Logan's craptacular dystopian world while he tries to prevent this world from becoming equally craptacutlar. It leads to moments that are a perfect mix of bloody as hell and beautifully sentimental. Like chocolate and bacon, it's an unexpected yet beautiful combination. Throw in an unexpected twist with Lady Deathstrike and the intrigue here just gets better. Even if self-fulfilling prophecies tend to get Old Man Logan shot at lot, it's still as entertaining as ever.

Final Score: 9 out of 10

Old Man Logan #8: Nuff Said!

Some characters are just destined to screwed over and not in the fun, Emma Frost on two glasses of wine kind of way. It's not just that some characters attract shitty luck the same way I attract parking tickets. Some characters are just superpowered versions of Al Bundy, always getting shafted and basically conceding that to some degree. Old Man Logan might not be as miserable as Al Bundy, at least in the sense that the redheads in his life don't suck his soul out through his wallet. However, he seems destined to be screwed over.

This hasn't stopped Jeff Lemire from making Old Man Logan one of the best things to come out of Secret Wars. Yeah, he's a grumpy old fuck, but not because of how low kids wear their pants. He comes from a world where he killed all his friends. That's a valid reason to be pissed off. He spent the first arc of this series figuring out he's in an alternate world where he isn't destined to do that...yet. Old Man Logan #8, however, shows that he's still bracing himself for destiny to kick him in the balls. So long as he doesn't end up selling women's shoes, he's still got it better than Al Bundy though.

It's still worth emphasizing just how fucked things got in Old Man Logan's world. Jeff Lemire goes out of his way to belabor that throughout the series and yeah, it needs belaboring. When aircraft carriers fall out of the sky, when villains come riding in with a massive rage boner, and when the Avengers are too dead to do jack shit about it, then yeah. That's pretty fucked and it's worth emphasizing just how fucked it is. It also gives Andrea Sorrentino a good excuse to show aircraft carriers crashing into cities and Odin knows we can't have too many of those.

Memories of this world and how fucked it got tend to keep Old Man Logan up at night. He can't blame his prostate or his colon either. This shit still haunts him and he still has this uncomfortable feeling that this timeline will get as fucked up as his. Considering mutants are living in a fucking demon realm and Captain America is swearing allegiance to Hydra, I can't say I blame him.

That's when O5 Jean Grey comes in to console him. Put your dick away, anime fans and those with fucked up porno tastes. It's not that kind of consolation. It's just someone who cares about Old Man Logan trying to help him. People actually do it every now and then. Teenage girls even do it, albeit in between texting. O5 Jean has more reasons than most. She did promise him in Extraordinary X-men that she would keep him from becoming the asshole that triggers this future. She even offers to help him again on a night like this when all the prostate issues in the world can't make him this restless.

Again, put your dicks away. There's no sexual innuendo here. It's just O5 Jean Grey keeping her promise and being more helpful than most teenagers tend to be without having to hide their cell phone.

Once again, Lemire belabors just how much Old Man Logan needs O5 Jean to keep that promise. Go back to his overly fucked world. Watch the villains drop an omega-level shit storm on New York City. Some of the few remaining heroes, like Daredevil and She-Hulk, try to fight back. They might as well be throwing feathers at hungry polar bear. They all meet with particularly gruesome deaths, the kind that even Netflix won't show. It's yet another excuse for Andrea Sorrentino to draw brutal scenes and no, we can't have too many of those either.

Back in a totally non-fucked timeline, O5 Jean and Old Man Logan are hovering over New York City. It's not being destroyed. Heroes aren't getting shot in the head. It's just a normal night, full of heavy traffic, pissed off pedestrians, and obscenely rents. O5 Jean makes it a point to show Old Man Logan that the world isn't a total shit pile just yet. He hasn't handed it to the villains, complete with a side of fries and a bag of meth. It may seem redundant, but he's a stubborn old geezer. Even the influence of a cute teenage girl has limits and O5 Jean is fully clothed here. It just shows she's willing to do things the hard way and the right way.

More belaboring follows. That means more heroes dying gruesome deaths in a gruesomely violent manner. This time, it's Hank Pym. Unless it involves his wife, he's not exactly adept at beating villains. No matter his size, he's over-matched in this timeline. It leads to another gruesome moment full of exceedingly graphic depictions by Sorrentino. It's more eye-candy and at this point in the series, I'm pretty sure my eyes have diabetes. Totally worth it though.

In a less gruesome timeline, O5 Jean shows Old Man Logan another empty field. Why does this matter? Well, the field doesn't have the giant rotting body of Hank Pym dominating the landscape. That alone is a pretty powerful message. No matter how much of an old geezer he is, I doubt Old Man Logan forgets the stench of a giant rotting Hank Pym.

Understanding that some old smells don't need belaboring, O5 Jean also takes Old Man Logan to the site where the Xavier Institute used to stand. Granted, he's not the reason why it's gone. Someone still thinks it's a good idea to set up shop in a fucking demon realm while Inhuman fart clouds cover the planet, but Old Man Logan can't blame himself for that one. At the very least, it shows that this timeline is different. It's still fucked in a lot of ways, but at least there are no giant corpses of Hank Pym just lying around.

Even without the Xavier Institute there, it brings back some shitty memories of a shittier timeline. Old Man Logan relives painful moments that don't just involve the villains killing the heroes and pissing on their corpses. They involve moments where he kills his friends and teammates, including those really close to him like Jubilee. Anyone who saw even half a season of the old X-men cartoon will understand why this is a big fucking deal.

After all the other memories of gruesome deaths and rampant destruction, this is a moment that adds some much-needed balance. Old Man Logan tends to attract and recall obscenely brutal moments full of obscenely bloody fails from an obscenely fucked timeline. However, there are still personal connections within these moments and those moments give the obscenely dark nature of his timeline a lot of impact. It's a big part of what makes Old Man Logan a compelling character. It's also a nice reminder to X-men fans that as fucked as the current timeline is, it could still be way more fucked.

Bad memories and the lingering stench of Hank Pym's rotting corpse suck. However, O5 Jean isn't just there to remind him of how shitty his world got. After they're done touring the places from his timeline that aren't utterly fucked, she takes him to Madripoor where Old Man Logan meets up with some old friends. Many are friends he ended up stabbing to death in his timeline, but they're utterly unstabbed in this one. This includes Jubilee, Captain America, Hawkeye, and Puck. It makes for a much nicer, less obscenely violent moment involving Old Man Logan. Given how rare those are in this series, it's a precious moment and one that more than deserves a round of Canadian beers.

Excuse me. I just teared up a little. No, I'm not apologizing.

After sharing a few hugs and drinks, Old Man Logan and O5 Jean watch the sunset and soak in the last round of feels. Again, there's nothing overly creepy about this moment. Those hoping for some X3-level bullshit are going to be disappointed, as they should be. Beyond Old Man Logan gaining perspective, we also learn just how big a difference that a non-dead Jean Grey can make. She was already dead in Old Man Logan's timeline when shit went bad. She's still technically dead in this timeline, but she has a time-displaced version running around. At a time when the X-men are so thoroughly fucked due to movie rights and shit, that's still a big fucking difference.

So...is it awesome?

Well as much as Old Man Logan flexes his wrinkly old nuts in this series, he still leaves room for others when they have something to flex. In Old Man Logan #8, it's O5 Jean Grey who shines. She shows in one issue that she has bigger balls than all the football players in Texas and only a fraction of the head trauma. She helps Old Man Logan confront his greatest fears. She helps give context to the horrors he endured in his timeline. It makes for a powerful, emotional moment that isn't the least bit creepy. When was the last time we could say that about any plot involving an old man and a teenage girl?

Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino continue to make Old Man Logan one of the most compelling Wolverine series in years. It's not about him wanting to gut Sabretooth, bang a married woman, or kill every ninja in sight. It's about a jaded old man trying to rebuild a life that he tries to piss away on more than one occasion. He's still as badass as Clint Eastwood, minus the senility and crazy political leanings. O5 Jean just reminds us that he needs a hug every now and then. After Old Man Logan #8, anyone other than a sociopath or a Fox News anchor, will be eager to hug him.

Final Score: 8 out of 10